Another tutorial!! "Funki-fied Tea Tins!"

Since I'm having trouble with my DIY site of choice, this is getting posted to my blogs first!!!

A great way to keep your teas fresh and tasty, while showing off your personal taste! Here's what you'll need to get started:

• tea tin or airtight container
  
• appropriate glue for your choice of materials
  
• decorative paper
• varnish of your choice
  
• acrylic paint (optional)
• sandpaper (optional)
• tea (duh!) or coffee or cocoa or ... you get the drift

The Tins:


Measure the height of the tin from the bottom of the lid. You want to make sure you don't make the tin too "fat" for the lid to fit, after all!

Indicate the lid position using a fine-point permanent marker, unless your tin has an existing guide (like the Twinings tin).

TIP: I found some great tins on clearance at a local craft store (50 cents each!), which is what gave me the idea. You can also re-use tea tins or other airtight canisters.


The Ephemera:


Gather your decorative papers. You can use scrapbooking papers, Loteria tablas (as I did), junk mail, catalogs or just about anything flexible enough to glue to a tin!

Trim your papers to fit within the measurements you took in step 2.


The Glue!


Spread glue** evenly over the surface to be covered. DO NOT spread glue over the lid-line. If you are using an industrial glue, you will need to work quickly and in a ventilated space (you twisted little glue-sniffer).

**Choose a glue to match your materials. For metal tins, use an industrial glue like E6000 or Liquid Nails. If you have a foil-lined paper canister (like a cocoa container), you can use a tacky white glue or my new personal fave, YES! paste.

DO IT ALREADY!


Apply your pretty papers and let your glue dry.




Repeat process with your lid.



TIP: I chose to sand off the existing finish and paint the sides of my lid in a color that I matched to one of my papers. You could also use spray paint, tiny scraps of paper or a thin paper that would easily wrap from the top to the sides.

The Finishing Touch:



VARNISH it baby! You want to protect your work, don't ya?

There are a plethora of varnishes from which to choose, so pick your favorite whether it be gloss, satin or matte.

Wipe off any varnish that creeps up over the lid-line of the tin or under the lid. Ensure that the varnish is not just dry, but allow plenty of time for it to cure before you handle - some varnishes take DAYS to cure in cool or humid weather.

Use:
Start rockin' your Earl Grey or English Breakfast with your awesomely cool tin!



UPDATE May 2011 - If I did this again today, I would still use the same adhesive, but would probably use a Golden Acrylics varnish - I like the way they dry a little better.